Fluid-controlled actuating means



S. F. ARBUCKLE.

FLUID CONTROLLED ACTUATING MEANS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-2,1918.

1,898,239 1. I Patented Nov. 29, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

4 III-' 3 m4! mm? 41 4 25 I 23 //7Vf/YTOE Sam/a f #5505415 S. FARBUCKLE.

FLUID CONTROLLED ACTUATING MEANS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.2. 1918.

1 398 ,29 l a Patented Nov 29, 1921..

2 SHEETzESHEET 2.

TIE 7 arenr oasis S'UEL F. ARIBUCKLE, 0F INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

FLUID-CONTROLLED ACTUA'IING MEANS.

Application filed August 2, 1918.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL F. ARBUGKLE, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Indianapolis, county-of Marion and State of Indiana,have invented a certain new and useful Fluid-Controlled Actuating Means;and 1 do hereby declare that the fol lowing is a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,in which like numerals refer to like parts.

This invention relates to a fluid controlled actuating means, and theprime feature of the invention is the combination of means employing acolumn of fluid for shifting the position of an object, and manuallyoperated means for actuating the column of fluid, particularly.

A further feature of the invention con sists in the combination of anair-tight conduit and two independent pistons operating therein with acolumn of air or other fluid filling the space between them, one of-saidpistons being relatively the actuated piston and the other the actuatingpiston, whereby the movement of the latter in either direction willeffect a corresponding movement of the actuated piston, by theintermediate column of fluid, whether the actuating piston is pushed orpulled, but particularly when it is pulled.

A further feature of the invention is the provision of cylinders andpipe connections, and means for varying the amount of fluid within saidparts.

A further feature of the invention is the provision of means forautomatically retaining the parts in their initialoperated position anypreferred length of time when desired.

A further feature of the invention is in so constructing the fluidactuating mechanism that the column of fluid may be employed for movingthe object shifting mechanism in either direction if desired.

A further feature of the invention is the provision of means foroperating and controlling two or more pistons on movable objectssynchronously from a single actuatingrmeans.

he full nature of the invention will be understood from the accompanyingdrawings and the following description and claims:

In the drawings Figure-1 is a sectional view of the controlling means,showing the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 29, 1921.

Serial No. 248,078.

same applied to use in connection with a tilting reflector of a headlight or lamp, showin the reflector in normal position. Fig. 2 1s asimilar view showing the parts in operative position and the reflectorin tilted position. Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal central sectionalview through the fluid actuating means. Fig. 4: is a sectional viewthereof as seen on line l4.- of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a central longitudinalsectional view through the reflector tilting means. Fig. 6 is asectional view thereof as seen on line 6-6 of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is adetailed elevation showing the fluid actuating means employed foroperating the brake band of a vehicle. Fig. 8 is a central sectionalView through a modified form of actuating means. Fig. 9 is a centrallongitudinal sectional view through the brake band operating means.

Referring to the drawings in which similar reference numerals designatecorresponding parts throughout the several views, 1 indicates a lampstructure, such as is commonly used in connection with automobiles andsimilarly propelled vehicles, said lamp having a tilting reflector 2carrying a light bulb 3, said parts being of the ordinary or anypreferred construction, the reflector being pivoted to the lamp casingas shown at 4:.

In order to tilt the reflector so as to shorten the rays of light or toproject them in such manner as to prevent the light glaring to such adegree as to blind the eyes of the driver of an approaching vehicle,cylinders 5 are suitably mounted upon the housing of the lamp 1, heads 6and 7 closing the ends of the cylinders. Projecting through the forwardhead 6 is a piston rod 8, the forward end thereof having a transverseslot 9 which engages a pin 10 carried by ears 11, said ears being fixedto the reflector 2. The inner end of the rod 8 is attached to a piston12, which in this instance comprises a cup shaped shell 13,- fibrouspacking members 14 and 15, and a plate 16, the piston rod 8 having ashoulder 17 thereon against which the closed end of the shell 13 abuts.n

The packing member 1 1 comprises a body portion 18 which extends overthe open end of the shell 13, and a peripheral flange 19 which surroundsthe side walls of the shell and rests against the interior of'thecylinder 5. The packing member 15 likewise consists of a body portion20, and a flange ing member 15 by means of a nut 23 which 21, whichextends in the opposite direction from the flange 19 and bears againstthe inner wall of the cylinder 5, said latter flange extending over theedge of the plate 16. The packing member 14 is held in spaced relationfrom the end wall of the shell 13, by means of a spacing collar 22, andthe plate 16 is clamped against the packthreads on to the free end ofthe piston rod 8. I

By'placing the packing member 14 over the open end of the shell 13 acavity 24 is provided in the shell for the reception of lubricant and tomore readily permit the lubricant to pass to the inner wall of thecylinder 5, the body portion 18 of the pack ing member 14 is providedwith a plurality of perforations 25 whereby the lubricant will readilypass through said openings and percolate between the packing members 14and 15 and thoroughlysaturate said members with the lubricant. Byproviding the shoulder 17 against which the end of the shell 13 restsand by forcing the end of the spacing collar 22 against the inner faceof the shell, leakage of lubricant at this point is prevented.

Between the plate 16 and the end 7 of the cylinder 5 is positioned acoil spring 26 which normally retains the piston adjacent the end 6 ofthe cylinder and thus holding the reflector against rotating motion. Thepiston rod 8 is provided with a peripheral groove 27, so positioned thatwhen the valve 12 is moved to the rear end of the cylinder, the ends ofthe locking spring 28 will snap into the groove 27 and hold the. pistonrod and piston attached thereto against forward movement by the pressureof the spring 26, said spring 28 being mounted in a housing 29 attachedto the end 6.

Each cylinder 5 is provided with a tubular extension 30 to which isattached a pipe 31, said pipe when used in connection with the lamps ofan automobile, connecting the cylinders of the .two lamps. .The pipe 31has an extension 32 which extends from the pipe 31 to an actuatingcylinder 33, the end 34 of said cylinder having a neck 35, with whichthe end of the extension32 engages. The pipe 31 and extension 32 areadapted to contain a column of fluid, which, when actuated, will operatethe piston 12 for moving the sameback and forth in the cylinder 5. a i

The cylinder 33 is substantially cup shaped, and provided at its openend with a fiange36, to which is attached a cover plate 37, thecylinder33 being preferably attached to the dash 38 or other part of thevehicle, by means of bolts 39, which bolts also serve to hold the coverplate in engagement with the cylinder. 7 i

Mounted within the cylinder 33 is a fluid 'ing actuating piston 40 whichis constructed in the same manner as the piston 12 in the cylinder 5,having a cup shaped shell 41, packmembers 42 and 43, said packingmembers having flanges 44 and 45 respectively, which project in oppositedirections and engage the inner wall of the cylinder. The body of thepacking member 42 is likewise provided with openings 46 throughwhich thelubricant will more readily pass to the outer edge of the piston;

The piston rod 47, the piston being held on to the rod by means of a nut48 and a shoulder 49, a spacing collar- 50 being positioned between theshell 41 and the packing member 42 to hold said parts in spaced relationwhile the nut 48 bears against a plate 51, said plate engaging the faceof the packing member 43. The collar 50' and shoulder 49 likewiseprevent lubricant from passing through the opening of the shell at thispoint.

The piston rod 47 is 'provided with an axial bore 52 which extends'thefull length of the piston rod, and the rod is of suflicient length toproject a distance through the dash, even when the piston 40 is moved into close proximity to the end 34 of the cylinder 33. The projecting endof the piston rod 47 is provided with a pull knob 53 so that said pistonmay be readily moved lengthwise of the cylinder 33 in either direction.

The knob 53 is provided with a central cavity 54 in which is mounted avalve 55,

' said valve having a stem 56 which projects 40 is mounted upon a pistonthrough a port 57 in the outer end of the knob 53, the valve 55 closingcommunication through the port 57 when seated against the end wall ofthe cavity 54. The valve 55 isnormally held seated by means of a spring58, one end of which presses against the valve and the opposite endagainst that end of the piston rod 47 entering the pull 'knob 53.

The spring 58 is seated in the cavity 54 and is retained in properalinement with the valve by the walls of the cavity. For convenience ofillustration, one form of the present actuating means'is shown attachedto the reflector of an automobile head light, and another form attachedto the brake band of a vehicle, although it will-be clearly understoodthat the device can be used for changing the position of any movable orpivoted object. 4

In operation, when it is desired to tilt the reflector to the positionshown in Fig. 2 from the position shown in Fig. 1, so as to cause thereflector to. cast the rays of the light downwardly, the knob is graspedand the piston rod 47 pulled outwardly to the position shown in Fig. 2.This operation moves the column of fluid within the pipe 31 andextension 32, which will draw the piston 12 rearwardly in the cylinder5, the

piston rod 8 giving a rearward pull to the portion of the reflectorbelow: its pivot point, thereby swinging the reflector on its pivot.This operation moves the'piston rod 8 inwardly a sufficient distance topermit the locking spring 28 to snap into the groove 27 therebytemporarily holding the reflector in its tilted position.

At such time as it is desired to restore the reflector to its normalposition, or to the position shown in Fig. l of the drawing, an

inward push is given to the knob 53 which forces the piston 40 inwardlyto its initial position and in view of the pressure of the spring 26 inaddition to the pressure createdby moving the piston 40 inwardly, thelocking spring 28 will be released from the groove 27, whereupon thetension of the spring 26 will restore the piston 12 to its initialposition, and will hold the piston 12 securely in this position, andhold the reflector against any pivoting movement, thus obviating anypossibility of creating a flicker in the rays of light cast by thereflector.

It will be readily understood,;of course,

that by connecting the pipe 31 to two or more of the cylinders 5, all ofthe pistons, will be simultaneously operated.

Should the volume of fluid be reduced within the pipe 31, by leakage orotherwise, to such an extent as to prevent the proper operation of themechanism, when the piston 40 is operated, an additional amount of fluidis entered into the pipe by pressing inwardly on the stem 56, therebyreleasing the valve 55 from its seat, and permitting the fluid to passinto the pipe 31 through the bore 52.

Should an excess amount of fluid pass into the pipe 31, so as to preventproper opera tion of the piston 12, the piston 40 is moved outwardly asfar as it will go, and the valve 55 then opened, and the piston 40 movedinwardly a distance, which will permit the excess fluid pressure toescape from the pipe 31 through the bore 52. The valve then beingclosed, an additional outward pull on the piston i0 will successfullyoperate the piston-12 to tilt the reflector.

In that form of device shown in Figs. 7, 8 and 9, the piston rod 59 ofthe operating piston 60; is attached to one end of a lever 61, saidlever being substantially l -shaped and having its opposite endpivotally at tached to one end of a brake band 62. The oppositeend ofthe brake band is also attached to the lever 61, between its pivotedends, by means of a link 63, so that when a pull is given to the upperend of the lever 61 through the medium of the piston 60, the brake bandwill be tightened around the brake drum 64;. The piston 60 is differentfrom the piston 12 in that but one packing member 65 is used, and inthis instance the means for locking the piston in operated position isdispensed with. The piston 60 is likewise mounted in a cylinder 66, andthe piston is returned to its initial position so as to release thebrake hand by means of a pressure spring 67 introduced between the.piston 60 and the closed end of the cylinder 66.

The actuating piston 68 is similar to the actuating piston employedfortilting the reflector, except that a coil spring 69 is introducedbetween the piston '68 and the dash attaching end of the cylinder 70,which spring returns the piston 68 to its initial position as soon asthe pull on the shaft 71 is released.

The pistons 60 and 68 are so arran ed that they Wlll successfullyoperate the bra e hand without causing the pistons to move the fulllength of the cylinders in which they are inclosed, so that the parts ofthe brake band construction will be self-adjusting, that is, as thebrake band and parts attached thereto become. worn, such wear iscompensated for by the movement of the piston, and consequently'thebrake will operate as successfully as when it is first placed upon thebrake drum. This is also characteristic of the reflector tiltingmechanism, and by maintaining a proper amount of fluid within thecylinder and pipes connecting the same, which is readily accomplished bythe operation of the valve in the end of the hollow piston rod, thepistons will always be in operative condition.

.The omission of the locking means for holding the piston 60 in itsretracted position, and the provision of the springs 67 and 69, willcause the pistons to immediately release the brake bands when theoutward pull is released from the valve rod 71.

By providing this form of device, it will be readily seen that thefluidcolumn can be manually actuated for operating any suitable form ofmovable structure, and owing to the simplicity of the device can be verycheaply produced and readily applied to use. It will likewise be seenthat by providing a valve for cooperation with the bore in the pistoncontrolling rod of the actuating valve, the amountor" fluid within theparts to which the piston is attached can be properly regulated andcontrolled, thereby enabling the operator to get a varied degree ofactuation while the actuating piston is moved substantially to the sameextent lengthwise.

It will likewise be seen that by providing the self lubricating pistons,that is pistons having chambers for receiving a quantity of lubricant,and having closures oi fibrous substance, preferably of leather, whichslowly absorbs the lubricant and conveys the same to the walls of thecylinders in of the device will last indefinitely and the mechanism, andmanually operated means 1nfrictional action between the parts will bereduced to a minimum, thereby causing a ready and easy operation of theparts.

The invention claimed is:

1. A fluid actuating means including expansible and contractiblemechanism connectedwith the means to be actuated, means for creating apartial vacuum to operate said connection with said vacuum creatingmeans to regulate the degree ofvacuum created.

2. A. fluid actuating means including expansible and contractiblemechanism connected with the object to be actuated manually operatedexpansible and contractible means, a column of incased fluid betweensaid manually operated means and said object actuating mechanism, andmeans connected with said manually operated means for increasing ordiminishing the volume of fluid.

3. A fluid actuating means including an incased columnof fluid, means atone end of said column to be operated thereby, a manually operatedpiston at the other end of said cylinder for actuating the column offluid, and means in connection with said piston for varying the volumeof fluid to be actuated.

4. In a fluid actuating means,- a manually operated means for producinga partial vacuum, comprising a cylinder, a piston within said cylinder,a piston rod connected to the piston, and means .connected with thepiston rod for regulating the degree of vacuum created by the piston.

5. A fluid actuating means including a piston for moving an object, amanually operated piston, a column of incased fluid between saidpistons, and. means in cooperation with the last named piston forregulating the volume of fluid.

6. A fluid actuating means including an incased column of fluid, apiston at one end thereof for actuating an object, a hollow manuallyoperated piston rod at the other end thereof, and a valve inthepassageway through said hollow piston rod for controlling the passage offluid through the hollow piston rod.

7. In a fluid actuating means, an actuating nseaaea piston, comprisingan imperforate hollow shell, a pair of packing members disposed over theopen end of the shell, the "tree edges of said packing members beingdisposed in opposite directions, said shell being adapted to hold liquidlubricant, a cylinder surrounding said piston and engaging theoverturned edges of the packing members, and a piston rod for operatingsaid piston.

8. A fluid actuating means including means for incasing a column offluid, means at one end of said column to be actuated by the fluid formoving a movable object, a piston at the other end of said column offluid for actuating the fluid, a hollow piston rod, a hollow head on theouter end of said piston rod so that there is a passageway to the openair from the column of fluid, a normally operated valve in said head foropening said passageway, and a spring in said head for holding saidvalve closed.

9. A fluid actuating means for moving a movable object, includinganincased column of fluid, manually operated means at one end of saidcolumn for actuating the same, means controlled b said column of fluidfor moving a mova le object, and a spring for releasably holding .themovable object in position when moved. i

10. A fluid actuating means for moving a movable object, including anincased column of fluid, manually operated means at one end i of saidcolumn for actuating the same, means controlled by said column of fluidfor mov ing a movable object, a spring for releasably holding themovable object in position when moved, and another spring for returningsaid movable object when released.

11. A fluid actuating means including an incased column of fluid, meanscontrolled by i said column of fluid for moving a movable object, meansfor releasably retaining said movable object when actuated, a'spring forreturning said movable object whenv released, manually operated meansfor actuating the column of fluid, and means in conaection with saidmanually operated means for regulating the volume of fluid.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto atfixed my signature.

SAMUEL F. ARBUCKLE.

